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Headaches: Managing a Headache

Guides you through ways to reduce the severity of a headache and prevent it from coming back. Looks at combining stress management with medicines. Includes things you can do every day to help prevent headaches.

Headaches: Managing a Headache

Introduction

You can reduce how many
headaches you get and how bad they are when you do get them. Try
to:

Carry your medicine
with you so you can treat a headache right away
when you feel one starting. This is especially important
if you get migraines.

Don't take
over-the-counter pain relievers more than 3 times a
week, because you may get
rebound headaches. These
headaches usually occur after pain medicine has worn off.
This prompts you to take another dose. After a while, you
get a headache whenever you stop taking the medicine.

Take drugs
that cause the fewest side effects, such as
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (for
example, aspirin and ibuprofen).

Exercise
regularly, eat well, and reduce stress.

Work
with your doctor to find the best treatment for your headaches.

How do you manage a headache?

Stopping headaches

You can try several
things to stop a headache after it starts:

Stop what you are doing, and begin treatment.
Don't wait for the headache to get worse.

Apply a cold, moist cloth
or ice pack to your forehead and temples.

Rest in a quiet,
comfortable, dark room.

Take
your medicines exactly as prescribed by your
doctor.

Begin stress-relief methods as soon as
your headache starts.

Have a massage to relax tense muscles in
your head, neck, temples, face, or jaw.

Preventing headaches

You can do things every day to help prevent headaches:

Find and avoid
your headache triggers by using a
headache diary(What is a PDF document?).

Sit and stand with good posture to avoid
muscle tension.

Live a healthy lifestyle. Get regular sleep, eat
healthy foods at regular times, avoid alcohol and drugs,
and avoid foods that may trigger your headaches.

Don't
get too tired from hard physical activity.

Don't take
over-the-counter pain relievers more than 3 times a week, because you may get
rebound headaches.

Try to reduce
stress and headache pain with one or more of these treatments:

Biofeedback is a relaxation method to help you learn to control a body
function—such as muscle tension—that you
normally don't control.

Acupuncture involves putting very thin
needles into the skin at certain points on the body. Research shows
that acupuncture can help prevent some headaches.1, 2

Holland S, et al. (2012). Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults: Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. Neurology, 78(17): 1346–1353.

Holland S, et al. (2012). Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults: Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. Neurology, 78(17): 1346–1353.

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